Feature
December
29
Remembering 2011
by The Weekly Staff
As the calendar flips to another year, 2011 can still be seen in the rearview mirror, though it’s quickly disappearing into almanacs.
The past 365 days have been anything but predictable, often including a heaping helping of shock and awe. Whether the devastatingly powerful earthquake that shook Japan in March, the acquittal of Casey Anthony by a Florida jury in July, or the passing of Apple founder Steve Jobs in October, 2011 has kept headlines large and bold as word about these events and the thousands of others that shaped the year made its way across the globe.
In case you missed them (or forgot when they happened), here are some of the more noteworthy highlights.
January
- Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is shot in an assassination attempt in Arizona. She is among at least 17 shot by a gunman who opened fire on the congresswoman’s constituent meeting outside a local grocery store. Six people are fatally wounded.
February
- The Green Bay Packers take the championship back to “Titletown” after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 31–25 in the most-watched TV broadcast ever.
March
- The NFL shuts down after its owners and players can’t agree to terms of a new collective bargaining agreement before the current one expires.
- Japan is hit by a powerful earthquake that triggers a deadly 23-foot tsunami. The 8.9-magnitude quake, Japan’s largest ever, hit about 230 miles northeast of Tokyo. The quake, along with its aftershocks, led to a nuclear crisis in the country.
- Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor dies at age 79. She was the recipient of two Academy Awards.
April
- Prince William marries Kate Middleton. A million people line the streets; half a million gather in front of Buckingham Palace; and two billion tune in via TV or Internet to watch the much-publicized wedding.
May
- U.S. troops shoot and kill Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan. News of the al-Qaida leader’s death brings cheers and a sense of relief worldwide.
- Engineers open a portion of the Morganza Spillway to relieve pressure on levees along the Mississippi River, and to protect New Orleans and other towns downriver from flooding.
- Deadly tornadoes hit Joplin, Mo. At least 140 people are killed, and hundreds more are injured as a 3-quarter-mile-wide tornado levels the small town.
June
- The Dallas Mavericks win their first NBA championship in franchise history, beating the Miami Heat in the sixth game.
- New York legalizes same-sex marriage.
July
- A Florida jury finds Casey Anthony not guilty of killing her daughter, Caylee Marie, who was last seen with her mother on June 16, 2008. Many avid watchers of the case are shocked and angered by the verdict.
- Space Shuttle Atlantis launches into space for the last time from Kennedy Space Center. It is the 135th and final flight of NASA’s Space Shuttle Program, which started in 1981.
August
- Apple announces that Steve Jobs would be stepping down as the company’s chief executive. Timothy Cook takes over as chief executive.
September
- The popular soap opera, “All My Children,” airs its final episode after 41 years.
October
- The St. Louis Cardinals defeat the Texas Rangers 6–2 in the seventh game to win the World Series. It is the team’s 11th championship, the most of any National League team.
- After an 8-year battle with pancreatic cancer, Steve Jobs dies at age 56.
November
- Pennsylvania State University personnel face sexual abuse allegations. Jerry Sandusky, former football defensive coordinator at the university, is arrested on seven counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. Penn State’s head football coach, Joe Paterno, and the university’s president, Graham Spanier, are removed from their positions.
December
- New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees breaks Dan Marino’s record for most passing yards in a single season with a touchdown pass to running back Darren Sproles. Brees finished the game between the Saints and the Atlanta Falcons with 5,087 passing yards for the season. The Saints defeated the Falcons 45-16, a win that clinched the NFC South title for the team.
